Hydroairplane landing-gear



w. Lam/:ORE AND 1. RME/m15.

HYDROAIRPLANE LANDING GEAR. v

y Patented June 21, 1921.

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W. L.l GILMORE AND L F. MEADE.

HYDROAIRPLANE LANDING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.10, 1918.

Patented June 21, 192,1.

4 SHEES-SHEET 3.

I @WW1/gow WILLIAM Lenmozr: Joafpn F. MEADE W. L. GILNIOBE AND J. F.MEADE "HYDROAIRPLANE LANDING GEARf.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. Io, 191s.

1,882,412 1 Patented June 21, 1921.

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oaapH FMEADI;

Ifloat.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAMy L. eILMOmi: AND JOSEPH MEADE, OE ROOSEVELT, NEW YORK,ASSIGNORS, RY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CURTISS AEROPLANE' AND MOTORCORPORATION, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

EY DRAIRPLAN E LANDING-GEAR..

l Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 21, 1921.

Application filed October 10, 1918. Serial No. 257,657.

To all whom t may concern:

' Be it known that we, WILLIAM L. GILMORE and JOSEPH F. MEAOE, citizensof the United States7 residing at Roosevelt,'in the county of Nassau andState of Newv-York,v have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Hydroairplane Landing-Gears, of whlch the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to airplanes and more particularly to improvemntsin air-` plane landing gears.

An object of the invention is to provide a landing gear for seaplanesand hydroalrplanes which will offer minimum head resistancecommensuratewith strength. In gaining this end the number of landinggear struts heretofore required is diminished and in lieu of the moreorless conventional V- strut arrangement Single centerstruts are provided.These Struts are .arranged one aft of the other in the longitudinalvertical plane of the fore and aft axis of the pontoon or iioat andconstitute the only strut connection between it (the pontoon) and thatpart or portion of the craft beneath which the pontoon is supported. Inaddition to' the two center struts brace wires are provided. These wiresare arranged respectively at opposite Sides Of the {ioat and between thecenter struts, the formercaring for laterally directed shocks and thelatter for vertically directed Shocks in hydroplaning and landing. Thewires,`at their ends, are carried into the pontoon or float forconnection with the lower strut ends and for the additional purpose ofdiminishing the head resistance or drag. Moreover, Since the wires areanchored at or near the lower strut ends maximum strength is accordedthe struts.

The invention is further characterized by an improved strut mounting.Since but two center struts are provided it is incumbent that they beaccorded maximum strength. .At their upper ends the struts are carriedinto the fuselage or body\of the craft and at their lower ends into thepontoon or float. ,Preferably the strut ends are bifurcated to straddleon the one hand a structural element of the fuselage and on the otherhand a Structural element of the This, together with the fact thatsocket fittings are provided at the strut ends and the further fact thatthe brace wires are anchored to such fittings enables us to utilize thefull strength of each Strut with theresultant advantage that the numberof Struts is reduced as pointed out. above. Other constructional detailsandreinements will be hereinafter Set forth. r

Ofithe drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a seaplane having a landing gear asherein set forth;

Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the machine; f Y

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical Sectional view of the pontoon andfuselage showing the strut arrangement and mounting; also the interiorconstruction of the pontoon;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional View of the pontoon andfuselage showing the strut mounting used from the front;

Fig. 5 is a similar view emphasizingI the difference in length betweenthe front and rear struts of the landing gear; also detailing themounting'of the longer of the two; Fig. 6 1S an enlarged perspectiveview of the mounting at the foot ofthe rear vertical.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of that portion of the connectionillustrated in Fig. 8. In the embodiment of the invention selected forillustration the landingv gear is Shown as constituting a part of asingle float seaplane or hydroairplane'in which the iioat or pontoon ismounted directly beneath the fuselage or body. It is to be understoodhowever `that we do not intend to limit ourselves to any particular typeof machine and the strut arrangement and Structural details of theinvention may be equally as well used in connection with atwin ormultiple float machine or in connection, in' so far as certain of thedetailsare concerned,with land machines. Moreover, although a particularconstruction of fuselage is shown and a particular construction ofpontoon is shown, the constructionaludetails of both of these parts .ofthe machine are immaterial;

The float. or pontoon'illustrated, designated in its entirety by thenumeral 10, is provided with two rearwardly facing steps 11 and 12 and aV-bottoun 13 of hydroplanthroughout thefull length of the pontoon toVing form. It is of a good streamline shape' in longitudinal section andis preferably equipped with a single longitudinal bulk head 14 extendingl'substantialfy the fullw depth of Vthepontoon.` This bulk head (s ee"-Fig. 3) is lightened as atv 15 at or near its endsl and is of a lengthsuflicient to extend substantially the full length of the float. lnaddition to the bulk head 14 theskeleton of the pontoon frameworkcomprises a keelson 16` chine stringers 17, bilge` stringers 18,

desk stringers 19 and transverse bulk heads- 20, the latter beingspacedlongitudinally strengthen it and at the 3same time. divide it intoa number of non-communicating or` rather independently water-tightcompart` ments 21. f

The fuselage of the machine, designated in its entirety by the numeral22, like the pontoon 10, is of good streamline section. lt comprisesupper longerons 23, lower longe-` rons 24, transverse diaphragme 25,fuselage power plant which includes, in addition'to the motor`(notshown) a radiator 34 and propeller 35, the latter being preferably thetractor four-bladed type.

The wing structure of the machine is of the biplane type and comprisesupper wings 36, lower wings wing struts 38 and wiring 39. rlllhe vmannerin which the wires are arrangedl and in which the struts are constructedisl the subject matter of an application already on file, z'. e.application Serial No. 226,848, filed April 5, 1918.

rThe landing gear, in addition to the fioat orv` pontoon 10 abovegenerally described, comprises a forward landing gear strut -40 and arear landing gear strut 41. The forward landing gear strut 40 isinclined slightly in a fore `and aft direction to better t withstand theheavy hydroplaning and land ing impacts incurred during the operation ofthe machine. It is shorter than the rear strut 41 and at its upper endis directly faste-ned to the diaphragm 25 ofthe fuselage. vIn thisconnection it will be noted that the diaphgram 25 is so situated that itnot only supports the engine bed 32 from beneath, but for obviousreasons, projects below the horizontal plane of the lower longerons tooffer a substantial bearing surface for the upper end of the forwardstrut. This construction is best illustrated in Fig. 4. The strut 40,

.in addition to being shorter than the strut 41 isprovided at its upperend with a bifur cation 42 `within which the extended .portion "lhesefitting parts are arranged upon opposite faces of the diaphragm 25 towhich they are bolted. BeingA deep'the fitting affords anadequate meansfor holding the strut in place.

The rear strut 41, unlike the forward strut 40, is carried into thefuselage, preferably to a point in horizontal alinement with the upperlongerons 23.*-i It extends substantially vertical, that is, withoutinclination, 'and is fastened inside the fuselage by special fittings,one of which is illustrated` in `Fig. 6 and designated 44. Thesefittings are`providedat two points along the strut length and with theinternalf selage wiring-rigidly-hold the strut in isl vertical positionand at the same time fixedrelatively to the fuselage itself. 1 y

Both struts, 40 and 41, lie in the longitudinal Vertical plane of thelongitudinal center line ofthe pontoon. InA fact, they constitute theonly strut connection between the 4pontoon and that part or portion 0fthe craft beneath which it is supported. At their Ilower ends the strutsare carried into the pontoon for a substantial portion of its depth,preferably its full depth as indicated in Fig. 3. lThe lower ends of thestruts are also b'ifurcatedas indicated at 45 in a fore and aftdirection to straddle the center lon-4 gitudinal bulk head 14 ofk thepontoon. Socket fittings 47 are also provided for the lower ends. Thesefittings instead of being constructed'in two-part formcomprise, each;

four fitting sections, two sections being arranged upon each side of thelongitudinal bulk head 14. In Fig. 6 the four-part fitting at points inalinement with the bulkheadsv -20 thereof. rl"he bulk heads 2O however,un-

like lthe center longitudinal bulk heads 14 'are interrupted at thestrut points asthe struts are bifurcated only in a foreand 4aftdirection. The fitting parts are directly fas- `iin tened to the bulkheads as indicated at 48 by through bolts common to opposed fittingparts.

The socket fittingiarrangement, above d6- 'it is completely finished.Otherwise work upon the pontoon would be required after its adjustmentlto the machine. Inthis connection the snug fit between the strut ends,

which are tapered, and the complemental sockets within which the taperedstrut ends are seated constitutes, in connection with band fittings 49andthe wiring hereinafter described, l,the only fastening for thepontoon.

The wiring for the landing gear, see Figs. 3, 4 and 5 comprises lateralbrace wires 50 and fore and aft brace wires 51.V The lateral brace wires50 extend out laterally from the'sides of the pontoon at an angle forconnection with `the 'lower supporting surface 37 of the machine. Attheir lower ends the wires 50 are let `through the sides of the pontoonfor connection, inside the pontoon,

with the socket fittings 47 provided at the lower strut ends. j Thisconstruction accords the struts 40 and 41 greater strength andeliminates the use of exposed adjusting means. The adjusting means forthe wires 50, designated as 52, are inclosed in the pontoon and may bereached ,for adjustment through arm holes (not shown) formed `in theside' or deck of the pontoon. The fore and aftwiring 51 is similarlyarranged in that the ends of the wires are carried into the pontoonthrough the deck for connection with the lower strut ends. These rWireshowever are provided with special strap fastenings 53 which lie uponopposite sides of the center longitudinal bulk head 14 of the pontoonfor connection as at 54v with the opposed fitting parts constituting thesocket fittings 47. This construction is best illustrated in Fig. 6.Preferably the wires 51 and the wires 50 are attached to the fittings 47at adjacent points. As thewires at 'opposite sides of the pontoon arelarranged inpairs obviously an individual wire or wires is or areprovided for each strut. The tightening means for the wires 51 areinclosed in the fuselage or body of the machine and may be reached foradjustment from the inside ofthe body. These wires areecarriedrespectively to the upper end of the forward strut 40 and to the rearstrut 41 at af point in the horizontal plane of the longerons 24. Thefitting 44 illustrated in Fig. 6 affords a connection for the wire"leading to the rear center strut. The, fore and aft wires 51, asintimated, preferably lie Vin the longitudinal vertical plane of thecenter line-of the fioat and consequently in A landing gear of the aboveconstruction offers a minimum of resistance. The number 'of landing gearstruts as compared with prior constructions is reduced by atleastone-half. The only struts provided both lie in the longitudinal verticalplane of the center line of the float and are respectively Iinclined andvertical, the forward strut being the inclined strut because of the factthat in planing thelimpacts incurred are directed in a directionmore orless at an angle. The wires 50 and 51 brace the pontoon againstlaterally directed shocks as well as in a fore and aft direction. All ofsaid wires are carried to the lower strut ends and are let through theouter covering of the pontoon whereby their adjusting means may beremoved from view. `The details of construction are also conducive tolmaximum strength as the sockets provided at the lower strut ends snuglyreceive the struts and extend the full depth of the pontoon at its pointof maximum depth. These sockets ,the saine longitudinal vert-icalplaneas the `center struts.

furthermore are provided at the points of intersection of the transversebulk heads 2O with the center line bulk head 14.

While we have described our invention inv detail in its presentpreferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the artafter understanding our invention, that various changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the, j

spirit or scope thereof. We aim in the appended claims to cover all suchmodifica- ,Y

tions and changes.

, Vhat is claimed is:

1. A landing gear for hydroaircraft' comprising a fioat, a plural numberof struts, the struts being arranged one aft of the other in thelongitudinal vertical plane of the fore and aft axis of the float,socket fittings extended deep into the float to receive the lower strutends, and brace Wires extended angularly out from the socket fittings tobrace the lioat against. laterally directed shocks.

2. A landing .gear for hydroaircraft comprising a float, a plural numberof struts,

`the`struts being arranged one aft of the otherin the longitudinalvertical plane ofthe tings extended deep into the float to` receive thelower strut ends, and brace. wires extended both angularly laterally andangularly in a fore and aft direction from the socket fittings to bracethe fioat both laterally and fore and aft.

4,. In a landing gear for hydroaircraft, a fioat, landing gear struts,and wires for bracing the float, the wires being extended into the floatrather than fastened 'upon its exterior.

5. In an airplane landing gear, a float for supporting the craft on thewater, landing gear struts inclosed for a portion of their length insidethe float, and brace wires for the float let through 'the outer coveringthereof for anchorage at or near the inclosed strut ends.

6. In a landing gear for hydroaircraft, a float, landing gear strutscarried deep into theV fioat, the struts being arranged one aft of theother in the longitudinal vertical plane of the fore and aft axis of thefioat, and wires for bracing the float laterally, the wires beinglikewise extended into the float and fixed or anchored at or near theinclosed strut ends.

7. In a landing gear for hydroaircraft, a

' float, a bulkhead forming a structural element of the float, landinggear strutsv arranged one aft of the other in the longitudlnal verticalplane of. the fore and aft axis of the float, the lower ends of thestruts being bifurcated .to straddle the bulkhead, and socket fittingsprovided one for each strut, each fitting comprising separate fittingparts disposed respectively on opposite sides of the bulkhead.

8. In a landing gear for hydroaircraft comprising a float, a pluralnumber of st-ruts, socket fittings extended deep in the float to receivethe lower strut ends, and brace wires fastened to the socket fittings to`brace the float laterally and fore and aft.

9. In an airplane landing gear, the combination with the fuselage, of afloat, a bulkhead forming a part of the structural framework of thefuselage, a bulkhead forming a part of the structural framework of thefioat, and a strut connection between the fuselage and the strut, theends of the strut being extended respectively deep into the fuselage anddeep into the float, said extended float portion of the'strut beingbifurcated to` straddle the respective bulkheads.

10. In an airplane landing gear, a float for supporting the craft on thewater, interfuselage to receive the upper strut end, andI a second andsimilar fitting inclosed in the float to receive the opposite end of thestrut, the fittings in each instance being inclosed respectively in thefuselage 'and fioat and interconnected by lbrace wires which pene. tratethe outer covering of the'fus'elage. or float respectively.

12. In an aircraft, the combination of a body including a framework andan outer covering within which the framework is inclosed, a landinggear, and wires for. bracing 4the landing gear extended through theouter covering of the body for anchorage interiorly thereof. l f

13. In an aircraft, the combination of a float including a framework andan outer covering within which the framework is inclosed, and wires forbracing the float anchored on the inside thereof and extended throughthe outer covering. f

14. In an aircraft, the combination of a body including a frameworkandan outer covering within which the framework is inclosed, an elementfastened to the body, and a wire for bracing the element extendedthrough the outer covering of the body for anchorage interior-lythereof.

15. A landing gear for hydroaircraft comprising a float, a landing gear,a socket litting extended deep into the float to receive the lower strutend, and a 'brace wire extended angularly out from the socket fitting tobrace the float laterally.

16. A landing gear for hydroaircraft Vcomprising a float, a landing gearstrut, a socket fitting extended deep into theJ float to re ceive thelower strut end and lbrace wires extended both ang'ularly laterally andangularly in a fore and aft direction from thesocket fitting to bracethe float both laterally and fore and aft.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures. 4

` WILLIAM L. GILMORE.

JOSEPH F. MEADE.

